Resilia Funder Program Case Study
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
About the Organization
Fairfield County's Community Foundation (FCCF) is committed to dismantling the structures that have led to disparities in education, health, housing, income, and wealth generation, with a recognition of the impact of race on these outcomes.
By working together as a community, the Foundation seeks to build a more equitable and prosperous society, fostering a healthier and safer environment for everyone in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Founded in 1992, FCCF serves all 23 cities and towns across Fairfield County and is one of Connecticut's largest community foundations.
Challenge
Through ongoing conversations with Black and Brown leaders, FCCF recognized a critical need for capacity-building support and training among BIPOC-led nonprofits to support their ability to serve communities effectively. Since traditional nonprofit consultants demanded exorbitant fees well beyond the means of these nonprofits, FCCF understood that achieving the capacity-building goal required a more scalable solution. That's where Resilia's Funder Program came in.
Solution
By chance, FCCF learned about Resilia's Funder Program through another community foundation that spoke highly of its impact on their nonprofit grantees. With a long-standing commitment to empowering BIPOC-led and serving nonprofits through capacity-building technology, Resilia was the ideal partner to align with FCCF's mission.
Resilia's comprehensive training and resources, which include on-demand courses on fundraising, strategic planning, and board development, along with peer-to-peer training and unlimited 1:1 coaching, proven invaluable for FCCF's grantees.
"Our grantees are small but mighty. But like many nonprofits, they are strapped for cash. The ability to have coaches from Resilia sit in on board meetings and provide training to our board has been incredible. Having that resource and providing this service through the Funder Program has been a tremendous asset for them," said Lutonya Russell-Humes, VP of Grants and Programs at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
As part of the Funder Program, FCCP is a member of Elevate, a learning and action network of funders working to strengthen historically marginalized communities through trust-based capacity building and equity-centered knowledge sharing. Elevate brings together 50+ funders across the U.S. to amplify the voices of BIPOC-led/serving and grassroots organizations.
Funder Results
For FCCF, joining the Funder Program has led to an immediate impact. Through Elevate training and learning sessions, FCCF gained a deeper understanding of their grantees’ biggest challenges and pain points. Cohort reporting brought additional insights into grantees’ operational and strategic needs.
"Being able to connect and learn from other organizations across the country that are also dedicated to promoting equity in the nonprofit sector has been invaluable,” Lutonya Russell-Humes said. “We've gained valuable insights into how other organizations approach grantmaking and tackle systemic inequities that we can apply to our work."
"Elevate has been especially relevant as we recently released a strategic plan focusing on eradicating inequities in our community. Through Elevate, we've had the opportunity to learn from the experiences of our peers who have embarked on similar journeys and gain a deeper understanding of their lessons learned. This has allowed us to more effectively incorporate these insights into our approach and take meaningful steps towards achieving our more just and equitable partnership goal."
Resilia has enabled FCCF to provide tools that meet the needs of their grantees where they are in a way that the Foundation is not equipped to do themselves.
“I cannot stress enough how significant it has been to engage with and support 25 partners through the Resilia program. The ability to tailor our support to meet their unique needs, and provide them with a community of nonprofit leaders that will extend well beyond their time with the program, is truly invaluable.” -Lutonya Russell-Humes, VP of Grants and Programs
Grantee Results
Overall:
High early adoption and continuous engagement, with 86% of grantees engaged with the Resilia platform within the first year
Number of users tripled over time, with many adding in team members, volunteers and board members
Resources utilized most often:
How to Use Impact Stories
Donation Thank You Letter
Grant Project Budget
Event Planning Checklist
Strategic Plan Template